He bent his head and looked down into the mug without expression. 'Well, the doctors say I shouldn't,' he said. And then he held out the mug. 'But thank God, my will is weak.'
Chris paused for a moment, unsure, then saw the smile in his eyes as he lifted his head.
She poured.
'What a lovely name you have,' he told her. 'Chris MacNeil. It's not a stage name?'
Chris trickled brandy into her coffee and shook hey head. 'No, I'm really not Esmerelda Glutz.'
'Thank God for that,' murmured Merrin.
Chris smiled and sat down. 'And what's Lankester,
Father? So unusual. Were you named after someone?'
'A cargo ship.' he murmured as he stared absently and put the mug to his lips. He sipped. 'Or a bridge. Yes, I suppose it was a bridge.' He looked rueful. 'Now, Damien,' he went on, 'how I wish I had a name like Damien. So lovely.'
'Where does that come from, Father? That name?'
'Damien?' He looked down at his cup. 'It was the name of a priest who devoted his life to taking can of the lepers on the island of Molokai. He finally caught the disease himself.' He paused. 'Lovely name,' he said again. 'I believe that with a first name like Damien, I might even be content with the last name Glutz.'
Chris chuckled. She unwound. Felt easier. And for minutes, she and Merrin spoke of homely things, little things. Finally, Sharon appeared the kitchen, and only then did Merrin move to leave. It was as if he had been waiting for her arrival, for immediately he carried his mug to the sink, rinsed it out and placed it carefully in the dish rack. 'That was good; that was just what I wanted,' he said.
Chris got up and said, 'I'll take you to your room.'
He thanked her and followed her to the door of the study. 'If there's anything you need; Father,' she said, 'let me know.'
He put his hand on her shoulder and squeezed it reassuringly. Chris felt a power and warmth flowing into her. Peace. She felt peace. And an odd sense of... safety? she wondered.
'You're very kind.' His eyes smiled. 'Thank you.'
He removed his hand and watched her walk away. As soon as she was gone, a tightening pain seemed to clutch at his face. He entered the study and closed the door. From a pocket of his trousers, he slipped out a tin marked Bayer Aspirin, opened it, extracted a nitroglycerin pill and placed it carefully under his tongue.
Chris entered the kitchen. Pausing by the door, she looked at Sharon, who was standing by the stove, the palm of her hand against the percolator as she waited for the coffee to reheat.
Chris went over to her, concerned. 'Hey, honey,' she said softly. 'Why don't you get a little rest?'
No response. Sharon seemed lost in thought. Then she turned and stared blankly at Chris. 'I'm sorry. Did you say something?'
Chris studied the tightness in her face, the distant look. 'What happened up there, Sharon?' she asked.
'Happened where?'
'When Father Merrin walked in upstairs.'
'Oh, Yes...' Sharon frowned. She shifted her faraway gaze to a point in space between doubt and remembrance. 'Yes. It was funny.'
'Funny?'
'Strange. They only...' She pause. 'Well, they only just stared at each other for a while, and then Regan--- that thing---it said...'
'Said what?'
'It said, 'This time, you're going to lose.' '
Chris stared at her, waiting. 'And then?'
'That was it,' Sharon answered. 'Father Merrin turned around and walked out of the room.'
'And how did he look?' Chris asked her.
'Funny.'
'Oh, Christ, Sharon, think of some other word!' snapped Chris, and was about to say something else when she noticed that Sharon had angled her head up, to the side, abstracted, as if she were listening.
Chris glanced upward and heard it too: the silence; the sudden cessation of the raging of the demon; yet something more... something... and growing.
The women flicked sidelong stares at each other.
'You feel it too?' asked Sharon quietly.
Chris nodded. The house. Something in the house. A tension. A gradual thickening of the air. A pulsing, like energies slowly building up.
The lilting of the door chimes sounded unreal.
Sharon turned away. 'I'll get it.'
She walked to the entry hall and opened the door. It was Karras. He was carrying a cardboard laundry box.
